After wake-up, FE-3 Ford swapped out the battery of the EarthKAM (Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle School Students) equipment at the Lab WORF (Window Observation Research Facility) rack, then re-activated the NIKON D2Xs (50mm lens) plus software. Later in the day (~6:45am EST), Kevin terminated the EarthKAM session, shutting down the equipment, stowing the gear (except for the power string) and returning the SSC13 (Station Support Computer 13) to its nominal operations position. [This was the 5th use of the NIKON D2Xs camera by EKAM and the 4th time that any images are being taken from the WORF. EKAM will have a week-long session (until 11/17) which started on 11/12 with system checkout and targeting calibration. Students around the world, anxiously awaiting use of the higher resolution images, will begin taking their images today by remote commanding. D2Xs batteries (3 per day) need to be fully charged for camera operation.]

In preparation for his return to gravity tomorrow evening (5:26pm EST), FE-4 Yuri Malenchenko undertook Part 2 of his 5th and final exercise/training session of the Russian MO-5 MedOps protocol of cardiovascular evaluation in the below-the-waist reduced-pressure device (ODNT, US: LBNP) on the TVIS treadmill with Evgeny Tarelkin assisting as CMO (Crew Medical Officer). Yesterday's ODNT run was Part 1 (not Part 2 as reported here). [The assessment, lasting 90 min., supported by ground specialist tagup (VHF), uses the Gamma-1 ECG equipment with biomed harness, skin electrodes and a blood pressure and rheoplethysmograph cuff wired to the cycle ergometer's instrumentation panels. The Chibis ODNT provides gravity-simulating stress to the body's cardiovascular/circulatory system for evaluation of the crewmembers' orthostatic tolerance after several months in zero-G. The closeout exercise generally consists of first imbibing 150-200 milliliters of water or juice, followed by two cycles of a sequence of progressive regimes of reduced ("negative") pressure, set at -20, -25, -35, -40 mmHg (Torr) for 5 min. each, followed by -10 mmHg for 1 min., -20, -35, -40 mmHg for 10 min. each, and a final 30 mmHg for 5 min. and drop to 0 mmHg, while shifting from foot to foot at 10-12 steps per minute, while wearing a sphygmomanometer to measure blood pressure, medically monitored with the Gamma-1M hardware. The body's circulatory system interprets the pressure differential between upper and lower body as a gravity-like force pulling the blood (and other liquids) down. Chibis data and biomed cardiovascular readings are recorded. The Chibis suit (not to be confused with the Russian "Pinguin" suit for spring-loaded body compression, or the "Kentavr" anti-g suit worn during reentry) is similar to the U.S. LBNP facility (not a suit) used for the first time on Skylab in 1973/74, although it appears to accomplish its purpose more quickly.]

FE-6 Hoshide downloaded the accumulated data from his 4th and final 24-hr ICV (Integrated Cardiovascular) Ambulatory Monitoring session (11/13-11/14) from two Actiwatch Spectrums and two HM2 HiFi CF Cards to the HRF PC1 (Human Research Facility Portable Computer 1). The laptop was then powered off. Some science was lost due to charging failure of Makita power tool batteries. [For the ICV Ambulatory Monitoring session, during the first 24 hrs (while all devices are worn), ten minutes of quiet, resting breathing are timelined to collect data for a specific analysis. The nominal exercise includes at least 10 minutes at a heart rate >=120 bpm (beats per minute). After 24 hrs, the Cardiopres/BP is doffed and the HM2 HiFi CF Card and AA Battery are changed out to allow continuation of the session for another 24 hours, with the Makita batteries switched as required. After data collection is complete, the Actiwatches and both HM2 HiFi CF Cards are downloaded to the HRF PC1, while Cardiopres data are downloaded to the EPM (European Physiology Module) Rack and transferred to the HRF PC1 via a USB key for downlink.]

FE-1 Novitskiy completed the regular weekly maintenance inspection & cleaning of Group E fan grilles in the SM (VPkhO, FS5, FS6, VP), and also inspected the running SKV air conditioner and adjacent structural elements for moisture.

Kevin also took his first session with the MedOps psychological evaluation experiment WinSCAT (Spaceflight Cognitive Assessment Tool for Windows), logging in on the MDLT (Medical Laptop Terminal) and going through the psychological evaluation exercise on the PC-based WinSCAT application. [WinSCAT is a monthly time-constrained questionnaire test of cognitive abilities, routinely performed by astronauts aboard the ISS every 30 days before or after the PHS (periodic health status) test or on special CDR's, crewmembers or flight surgeons request. The test uses cognitive subtests that measure sustained concentration, verbal working memory, attention, short-term memory, spatial processing, and math skills. The five cognitive subtests are Coding Memory - Learning, Continuous Processing Task (CPT), Match to Sample, Mathematics, and Coding Delayed Recall. These WinSCAT subtests are the same as those used during NASA's long-duration bed rest studies.]

Evgeny used the standard ECOSFERA equipment to finish up microbial air sampling runs, Part 2, for the MedOps SZM-MO-21 experiment, with the POTOK Air Purification System temporarily powered down, taking Kit 2 samples from cabin surfaces along with samples from crewmembers for sanitation and disease studies. The Petri dishes with the samples were then stowed in the KRIOGEM-03 thermostatic container and subsequently packed for return in Soyuz 31S. [The equipment, consisting of an air sampler set, a charger, power supply unit, and incubation tray for Petri dishes, determines microbial contamination of the ISS atmosphere, specifically the total bacterial and fungal microflora counts and microflora composition according to morphologic criteria of microorganism colonies. Because the Ecosphere battery can only support 10 air samples on one charge at one given time, the sample collection must be performed in two stages.]

Yuri Malenchenko conducted the MO-22 Sanitary-Epidemiological Status check, part of the Russian MedOps program done on structures and crewmembers usually before Soyuz departures. Malenchenko assisted. [To monitor for microflora, Yuri collected samples from surface areas of interior panels and hardware at numerous locations in the SM, FGB, MRM1, MRM2, DC1 and ATV-3, also from himself, FE-1 Novitskiy & FE-2 Tarelkin using cotton swabs and special test tubes which were then stowed in 31S for return to the ground.]

Yuri also had another ~3 hrs for packing & stowing return-to-Earth cargo on his Soyuz spacecraft.

Oleg performed the periodic cleaning of Russian Potok-150 (150 micron) pre-filters of the SM's & FGB's SOGS air revitalization subsystem.

Later, FE-1 completed the routine daily & weekly servicing of the SOZh system (Environment Control & Life Support System, ECLSS) in the SM and FGB. [This included the weekly collection of the toilet flush (SP) counter and water supply (SVO) readings of SM & FGB for calldown to TsUP-Moscow, as well as the weekly checkup on the Russian POTOK-150MK (150 micron) air filter unit of the SM's & FGB's SOGS air revitalization subsystem, gathering weekly data on total operating time & "On" durations for calldown. SOZh servicing includes checking the ASU toilet facilities, replacement of the KTO & KBO solid waste containers and replacement of EDV-SV waste water and EDV-U urine containers as required.]

Kevin Ford & Sunita Williams filled out their standard FFQs (Food Frequency Questionnaires) on the MDLT. It was the 3rd time for FE-3, the 15th for Suni. [On the FFQs, USOS astronauts keep a personalized log of their nutritional intake over time on special MDLT software. Recorded are the amounts consumed during the past week of such food items as beverages, cereals, grains, eggs, breads, snacks, sweets, fruit, beans, soup, vegetables, dairy, fish, meat, chicken, sauces & spreads, and vitamins. The FFQ is performed once a week to estimate nutrient intake from the previous week and to give recommendations to ground specialists that help maintain optimal crew health. Weekly estimation has been verified to be reliable enough that nutrients do not need to be tracked daily.]

Kevin also performed routine maintenance on the four newly resupplied CSA-CP (Compound Specific Analyzer-Combustion Products) units (##1074, 1075, 1078, 1079), checking them for sensor contamination (incomplete outgassing) and zero calibrating each monitor with sampling pumps and zero filter. [CSA-CP is a passive cabin atmosphere monitor that provides quick response capability during a combustion event (fire). Its collected data are stored on a logger.]

CDR Sunita Williams had a time slot/placeholder reserved for making entries in her electronic Journals on the personal SSC (Station Support Computer). [Required are three journaling sessions per week.]

CDR, FE-1, & FE-6 had their weekly PFCs (Private Family Conferences) on their schedule, via S-band/audio and Ku-band/MS-NetMeeting application (which displays the uplinked ground video on an SSC laptop), Oleg at ~5:05am, Suni at ~11:40am, Aki at ~3:00pm EST.

Yuri & Suni again had an hour set aside each for personal crew departure preparations which is standard pre-return procedure for homecoming crewmembers.

At ~11:00am, with ISS Command being transferred tonight from Williams to Ford for Increment 34, with Oleg Novitskiy & Evgeny Tarelkin as Flight Engineers, Oleg & Yuri signed two copies of the formal Russian Handover Protocol document certifying RS (Russian Segment) handover/acceptance, including the contents of Progress 49P (#416), currently docked at DC-1 nadir, MRM1 Rassvet, and MRM2 Poisk. [The first copy remains on ISS, the second copy will be returned to the ground on Soyuz TMA-05M. "We, the Undersigned, have executed this Protocol to the effect that Yuri Ivanovich Malenchenko, responsible for ISS-32/33 RS, handed over to Oleg Ivanovich Novitskiy, a crew member in charge of the ISS-33/34 RS who accepted the ISS RS, including the operating features and onboard system or equipment anomalies."]

At ~2:15pm, all six crewmembers joined up for the traditional "Change of Command" ceremony, officially marking the transfer of the baton from Increment 33 to Increment 34, with Kevin Ford taking over Command from Sunita Williams who temporarily will become FE-5.

The crew worked out on the TVIS treadmill with vibration isolation & stabilization (CDR, FE-1, FE-2, FE-3, FE-4/2x, FE-6), ARED advanced resistive exercise device (CDR, FE-1, FE-3, FE-6), and VELO ergometer bike with load trainer (FE-2). [CDR & FE-6 are on the special experimental SPRINT protocol which diverts from the regular 2.5 hrs per day exercise regime and introduces special daily sessions involving resistive and aerobic (interval & continuous) exercise, followed by a USND (Ultrasound) leg muscle self scan in COL. No exercise is being timelined for Suni on Friday, for Aki on Thursday. If any day is not completed, Suni & Aki pick up where they left off, i.e., they would be finishing out the week with the last day of exercise on her off day. Suni's protocol for today showed ARED/TVIS (cont.) and TVIS (2 min) for tomorrow. Aki's protocol for today showed TVIS (int. 2 min.), with ARED/CEVIS for tomorrow. Explanation: After 10 min. warmup (active, i.e., motorized): Aerobic "T2 30 sec" (passive, i.e., nonmotorized) = 7-8 sets of exercise at HRmax (max. heart rate) for 30 sec, with 15 sec rest in between. Aerobic "T2 2 min" (motorized) = 6 sets of 2 min each at 70%, 80%, 90%, 100%, 90%, 80% HRmax. Aerobic "T2 4 min" (motorized) = 4 sets of 4 min, with 3 min rest period in between. ]

After completing their final CEVIS and TVIS sessions until tomorrow, Suni, Aki & Yuri will stow their exercise equipment.

Tasks listed for FE-4 Malenchenko on the Russian discretionary "time permitting" job for today were -
* More preparation & downlinking of reportages (written text, photos, videos) for the Roskosmos website to promote Russia's manned space program (max. file size 500 Mb),
* A ~30-min. run of the GFI-8 "Uragan" (hurricane) earth-imaging program with the NIKON D3X digital camera with Sigma AF 300-800mm telelens and PI emission platform using the SKPF-U to record target sites on the Earth surface,
* A 10-min. photography session for the DZZ-13 "Seiner" ocean observation program, obtaining SKPF-U (Photo Image Coordinate Reference System) HDV (Z1) camcorder footage of color bloom patterns in the waters of Central-Eastern Atlantic (CEA), South-Eastern Atlantic (SEA) and South-East Pacific (SEP), then copying the images to the RSK-1 laptop, and
* A ~30-min. session for Russia's EKON Environmental Safety Agency, making observations and taking KPT-3 aerial photography of environmental conditions on Earth using the NIKON D3X camera with the RSK-1 laptop.

Conjunction Update: A DAM (Debris Avoidance Maneuver) or a Crew Shelter-in-Place considered yesterday in preparation for a conjunction with Object 81662 (Unknown) was ultimately cancelled in the morning when subsequent tracking of the object's orbit, which had at first lowered the Pc (Probability of Collision) to a YELLOW category, later reduced it to GREEN. TCA (Time of Closest Approach) occurred yesterday at 12:54pm EST, without any issues. The USOS had been configured to perform the DAM but later was reconfigured back to support nominal operations.

Weekly Science Update (Expedition Thirty-Three - Week 8)

2D NANO Template (JAXA): Mission completed.

3D SPACE: Complete.

ACE-1 (Advanced Colloids Experiment 1, NASA): No report.

ALTCRISS (Alteino Long Term monitoring of Cosmic Rays on the ISS): Complete.

ALTEA SHIELD Shielding (NASA/ASI): "Thanks, Kevin, for helping out by stowing the hardware for the ALTEA-SHIELD experiment. This completes the Shield part of the ESA ALTEA-SHIELD experiment. All science objectives of characterization of radiation effects on shielding materials polyethylene (session#1) and Kevlar (session#2) have been confirmed completed. The session#2 collected 94 days of cumulative measurement days (of minimal 40 / preferred 60 days, no maximum acquisition duration) of science acquisition. Data validity has been confirmed by the science team." [Background: Cosmic radiation consists of very small, atomic-sized particles that are flying around in space at tremendous speeds. Their energy is so high that these particles, like tiny bullets, can permeate through the complete structure of the ISS. Exposure of astronauts to cosmic radiation is risky from a medical point of view. The best way to protect our astronauts against cosmic radiation is to build the complete ISS from lead! This would solve the problem but the enormous mass can impossibly be launched into space. Therefore different materials, much lighter than lead, are being tested to be used as shielding materials. Two of those will be investigated in the ALTEA-SHIELD experiment. The effectiveness of the shielding materials will be measured on board by a set of special radiation detectors. Some detectors will be covered with tiles made of shielding materials, some others will not. We are looking forward to find out what difference it will make!"]

BASS (Burning and Suppression of Solids, NASA): (The BASS hardware has been stowed until we resume tests beginning sometime in December 2012 or January 2013.)
BCAT-6 (Binary Colloidal Alloy Test 6, CSA): No report. [Colloids are particles as small as a few tens of nanometers (a thousandth of a thousandth of a millimeter) that are suspended in a medium, usually a liquid or a gas. The name "colloid" comes from the Greek word for "glue", and expresses very important properties of colloids: when small and light enough, particles can be influenced in their behavior by forces of electromagnetic origin, and make them stick together, or repel each other depending on the configuration. Colloids are widely studied in science because the forces between particles can be controlled and tuned and because particles, while being small enough to be influenced by such forces, are big and slow enough to be seen with a relatively simple and inexpensive laboratory instrument like a microscope. This is why colloids are often studied as model for molecular systems (like standard gases or liquids) where molecules, the individual constituents, are much smaller than colloids and cannot be seen with light. As mentioned, forces between colloids can be tuned giving rise to a rich variety of phenomena. One of them is aggregation, which is when particles stick together and tend to form structures. Among the many ways to induce particle aggregation, one allows to do so by controlling the temperature of the solution in which the particles are immersed, thanks to very weak forces called "critical Casimir forces" that have been predicted more than 30 years ago but just partially verified in experiments. The objective of SODI COLLOID is to measure such forces and produce a controlled aggregation of tiny plastic particles. This would allow to shed light on critical Casimir forces and to make a step towards the fabrication of new nanostructured materials with remarkable optical properties for industrial applications.]

BCAT-C1 (Binary Colloidal Alloy Test C1, CSA): No report.

BLB (Biolab, ESA): No report.

BIORHYTHMS 48 (Biological Rhythms, JAXA): "Suni, thank you very much for the completion of Actiwatch and Holter measurement on 11/9-11/14."

CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS (ESA): "Aki, thank you for completing another session of 36hrs measurements for CIRCADIAN RHYTHMS from 11/8 to 11/10, greatly appreciated! This completes all your in-flight sessions for this experiment, many thanks!"

EarthKAM (Earth Knowledge Acquired by Middle School Students): EarthKAM was set up in the Window Observational Research Facility (WORF) for the third time this year on 11/12, utilizing a T61p Laptop and battery-powered D2Xs camera. During this session, 10,414 participating students from 146 schools (95 US and 51 international) requested images via the web-based system managed at the University of California, San Diego. Camera control files containing student requests were uplinked to the laptop, resulting in extremely high-quality 12.3 megapixel images taken through the Lab window. A 50mm camera lens was used for a wider field of view the first half of the run, and then swapped to a 180mm lens on 11/14 for higher resolution images for the remainder of the run, ending on 11/17. As of 11/16 over 900 photos have been downlinked from this session, with many more expected for the remainder of the session. Images processed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory are posted to the EarthKAM website (https://earthkam.ucsd.edu/) for students around the world to study earth & space science, geography, social studies, math, and even art. EarthKAM continues to inspire us all to take care of our home planet earth and share the excitement of space operations.

ENERGY (ESA): No report. [Background: In the ENERGY experiment, astronauts are invited to participate in a study that aimed to evaluate how much food is needed for astronauts during long-term space missions. To do so, the science team will measure every component or variable of the astronaut's energy expenditure reflecting his energy needs. Those variables will be measured twice: up to 4 months before flight and after at least 3 months in space but 3 weeks before landing. The changes in the astronaut's energy balance and expenditure will be measured, which will help in deriving an equation for energy requirements in weightlessness. This will contribute to planning adequate, but not excessive cargo supplies for food.]

FSL (Fluid Science Laboratory, ESA): On 10/30, a ground-commanded software upgrade of the FSL Optical Diagnostic Module (ODM) was performed. Some mismatch in the indication of software version has been encountered first, but was then corrected. On 11/12, the check-out of the FSL ODM Application Software upgrade was completed.

FWED (Flywheel Exercise Device, ESA): No report.

GENARA-A (Gravity Regulated Genes in Arabidopsis A/ESA): No report.

GEOFLOW-2 (ESA): Experiment completed! [Background: Everybody is familiar with liquids. In an average day we get to use, handle or drink water or other liquids. And everybody knows how fluids (that is liquids and gases) behave: when subjected to a net force, may be pressure, a temperature difference or gravity, they can move freely. Scientists have been studying how fluids move for centuries, and managed to write mathematical formulas that can describe and predict such movements. Unfortunately, these equations are extremely complex and only approximate solutions are known. As a result, our quantitative understanding of fluid movement is just partial. This is especially true for natural phenomena where the forces can be enormous and unpredictable, like in oceans or in the atmosphere, or the interior of the earth, where rocks are exposed to pressures and temperatures so incredibly high that they slowly move and adapt their shape. That is, over hundreds of years rocks flow just like a very viscous liquid. Scientists try to study such flows but cannot observe them directly due to the fact that they take place deep beneath the surface of our planet. The only way is to have computers simulating those movements starting from the equations, but how to check whether computers are correct? This is what Geoflow II is trying to answer on board the International Space Station. Geoflow II is a miniature planet that has some of its essential ingredients: a fluid can freely move inside a spherical container that rotates, has temperature differences and has a simulated gravity directed towards the centre just like in a real planet. By taking pictures of the fluid movements, scientists are able to understand the essential characteristics of the flows and determine whether computer simulations are correct or whether they need to be refined and improved towards a better understanding of the elusive movements that take place inside our planet.]

ICV (Integrated Cardiovascular): "With the download of Aki's ambulatory monitoring data, your inflight ICV sessions are complete! The entire ICV team wants to thank you for all of your efforts with the Makita batteries to maximize Cardiopres data. Suni recorded close to 24 hours despite the battery problems and, although there was less data for Aki, it certainly wasn't for lack of trying and we're both pleased and grateful to have gotten what we did! We're looking forward to BDC and seeing you back in Houston!"

IMMUNO (Neuroendocrine & Immune Responses in Humans During & After Long Term Stay at ISS; RS): No report.

INTEGRATED IMMUNE: No report.

InSPACE-3 (Investigating the Structure of Paramagnetic Aggregates from Colloidal Emulsions 3): No report.

IRIS (Image Reversal in Space, CSA): No report.

ISS Amateur/Ham Radio: No report.

ISSAC (ISS Agricultural Camera, NASA): No report.

IV Gen (Intravenous Fluids Generation): No report.

JOURNALS (Behavioral Issues Associated with Isolation and Confinement, NASA): No report. [Studies conducted on Earth have shown that analyzing the content of journals and diaries is an effective method for identifying the issues that are most important to a person. The method is based on the reasonable assumption that the frequency that an issue or category of issues is mentioned in a journal reflects the importance of that issue or category to the writer. The tone of each entry (positive, negative, or neutral) and phase of the expedition also are variables of interest. Study results will lead to recommendations for the design of equipment, facilities, procedures, and training to help sustain behavioral adjustment and performance during long-duration space expeditions to the ISS, asteroids, the Moon, Mars, and beyond. Results from this study could help to improve the behavioral performance of people living and working under a variety of conditions here on Earth.]

MCE (Multi-Mission Consolidated Equipment, JAXA): Ground team completed the checkout of GLIMS (Global Lightning and Sprite Measurements) and continued operation for IMAP, SIMPLE, HDTV and REX-J.

MDCA/Flex-2: On 11/12, we performed seven successful MDCA/FLEX-2 Quiescent test points using 100% decane fuel at a 1-atm chamber environment of 25% oxygen and 75% helium. One objective of these tests was to determine if the cool flame stage of combustion, that we have observed in nitrogen-diluted atmospheres, also occurs when helium is used for dilution. The cool flame stage of combustion, or low temperature oxidation, occurs after extinction of the visible flame. The fuel droplet continues to vigorously evaporate without any visible flame. This rapid evaporation then ceases and leaves behind a large vapor cloud that can remain suspended almost indefinitely. Typically we have observed that the cool flame stage lasts for about 10 to 20 seconds until the vapor cloud appears. The striking difference in these helium-diluted tests was the sudden extinction of the visible flame (no flame oscillations) and the short duration of the cool flame stage - only four seconds until the vapor cloud appeared. These real-time observations suggest a dramatically contracted cool flame stage for this helium-diluted environment as compared to nitrogen-diluted environments. These observations can only be confirmed after detailed analysis of the image data.

MISSE-8 (Materials ISS Experiment 8): MISSE-8 is nominal. PASCAL performed nominal commanding that produced IV curves of the solar cells. IV curves are plots of the current versus voltage for solar cells and tell a lot about how these are performing. The SpaceCube experiment is continuing to run code for new radiation hardening by software.

MMA (JAXA/Microgravity Measurement Apparatus): No report.

MOST (Medaka Osteoclast, JAXA): "Kevin and Aki, thank you for removal of the air bubbles in the aquariums, and water maintenance and many feedbacks. Also, thank you for the PFA fixation. These samples will be returned on 31S. Here is some MEDAKA movies on web site.
Breeding 8 days: http://iss.jaxa.jp/library/video/121102_medaka.html and
Breeding 13 days: http://iss.jaxa.jp/library/video/121107_medaka.html"

NANOSKELETON (Production of High Performance Nanomaterials in Microgravity, JAXA): No report.

NANO STEP (JAXA): Ground team started run#3 on 11/11, now keeping the temperature at 32 degC.

NEURORAD (JAXA): No report.

NEUROSPAT (ESA/Study of Spatial Cognition, Novelty Processing and Sensorimotor Integration): No report. [During microgravity stay, the human body goes through multitude of physiological changes in order to accommodate to the new environment. As the brain is a master organ where major crucial processes take place, it is fundamental to understand how it manages adaptation for living in Space. One of the main purposes of Neurospat (NES) experiment is to focus on how microgravity environment influences cerebral activity of astronauts aboard ISS. For this, the global electrical activity of the brain of the astronaut is measured thanks to electroencephalogram (EEG) technique, while he or she is executing specific tasks through a computer as if it was a kind of videogame. In practice, the astronaut is wearing a specially equipped cap with passive, gel filled electrodes that are in contact with his/her scalp while he or she is performing the specific tasks that we have designed. These are visual-orientation perception and visuo-motor tracking tasks that may be encountered on a daily basis. The tasks allow the study of 5 cognitive processes: Perception, Attention, Memorization, Decision and Action. Besides there are also task-irrelevant images that are showed to the astronaut in order to assess how well he or she processes novel visual stimuli. The electrodes all over the scalp are linked to sensitive amplifiers that allow us to measure small variations of electrical potential between different regions of the scalp. These signals are in turn used to estimate activity in the cerebral cortex related to the task being performed. Also, they serve to identify the mental processes associated with these tasks and to localize in the brain the sources of the underlying neural activity. After analysis of the data we can better understand whether the novel environment of microgravity accompanied by a multitude of stressors may place an increased load on the cognitive capacity of the human brain and whether the sensory signals and motor responses of astronauts are processed and interpreted differently because a new reference frame.]

NightPod (ESA): No report.

NOA-1/-2 (Nitric Oxide Analyzer, ESA): Complete.

NUTRITION w/REPOSITORY/ProK: "Suni, Aki, and Kevin, thank you for collecting SLAMMD data for us this Monday, hope you enjoyed working with this hardware. Kevin - You've successfully completed 1 of 5 sessions for Nutrition/Repository. Thank you for reporting your barcodes for your urine samples. Having the barcode information helps tremendously with sample return. Your next session will be at ~FD30. We look forward to working with you again in the next few weeks. Have a great week!"

ODK-2 (Onboard Diagnostic Kit 2, JAXA): "Aki, thank you for the completion of heart sound measurement on 11/9. The doctor heard your heart beat sound clearly in real time from ground. Also thank you for the muscle measurement on 11/14. Many thanks for your third various measurement on 11/11."

PADIAC (Pathway Different Activators, ESA): No report.

PADLES (JAXA, Area PADLES 6/7; Passive Area Dosimeter for Lifescience Experiment in Space): No report.

PASSAGES (JAXA): No report. [PASSAGES is an experiment about the strategies involved in the perception of the world around us. Seeing correctly the world is necessary to success our gestures, our actions, such as catching a ball, stepping an obstacle on the ground or passing through an opened door. In this experiment, we want to know if the strategies involved on Earth continue to be used when the astronaut is in a weightlessness environment for a long period. To investigate this question, the participant sees 3D scenes on the screen of a laptop such as a video game. The scene is a room with an opening which can vary in width. The task of the participant is to decide if yes or no he or she could pass through the aperture without rotating or scrunching the shoulders. The science team uses typical methods from psychophysics and manipulates several factors to highlight the strategies used by the participant. Then, the science team will compare the performances obtained on ground with those obtained onboard.]

Pro K: "Suni and Aki, you have completed your Nutrition, Repository and Pro K inflight sessions. We have successfully received the data downlink from your last sessions. You have both been excellent subjects, and the whole team would like to thank you for participating in these experiments as it has been a pleasure working with you. We look forward to working with again on the ground. Happy Landings!"

RadGene & LOH (JAXA): Complete.

RadSilk (JAXA): No report.

Reaction Self Test (RST/Psychomotor Vigilance Self Test on the ISS): "Suni, Aki, and Kevin, thank you for your continued participation in Reaction Self Test, your efforts are greatly appreciated by the team!"

REBR-2 (Re-Entry Breakup Recorder 2, JAXA): No report.

REM (Radiation Environment Monitor, NASA): No report.

Resist Tubule (RTS, JAXA): Samples returned by SpX-1.

Reversible Figures (ESA): "Kevin, thanks for the completion of your second REVERSIBLE FIGURES session!" [Background: The objective of this study is to understand the relationship between gravity and depth perception. Another objective is to identify the problems associated with depth and distance perception in astronauts with the goal of developing countermeasures to reduce any associated performance alteration. This experiment investigates cases in which what astronauts might think to see, fails to achieve a correct representation of the environment, namely, optical illusions. Ten ambiguous figures, with or without depth cues, are presented to an astronaut in virtual reality goggles. These figures are ambiguous because they can be seen at first sight in two different ways. The figure does not change, but after some time the brain reverses (flip-flops) its interpretation. The astronaut is asked to look closely at each figure and to indicate with a mouse trackball which view he/she sees first, and when the view flip-flops. The interval between the views will be compared between 1g and 0g conditions. In 0g, the astronaut will do the test while free-floating to eliminate all orientation cues. This experiment will be performed three times pre-flight, then up to six times in-flight, and again three times post-flight. The science team will then compare the results of these tests across these gravitational environments. It is expected that the frequency of flip-flops of figures with depth cues will be different in between 0g and 1g, and that an adaptation to long-term exposure to weightlessness, as well as a re-adaptation to Earth gravity, will take place.]

ROALD-2 (Role of Apoptosis in Lymphocyte Depression 2, ESA): No report. [Background: The ROALD-2 experiment studies how the function of T-cells from the immune system are affected by microgravity and spaceflight. T-cells play an important role in controlling the immune systems response to infection. It has previously been shown that the immune response of astronauts can be reduced following spaceflight and it has also been shown that the activation of T-cells in culture is reduced in microgravity. A series of experiments on T-cells and other immune system cells have been previously performed by different scientific teams on Space Shuttle and the ISS over the last 30 years. The data from these individual experiments provides information which together can be used to understand the mechanisms by which gravity or the absence of gravity can affect T-cell function.]

Robonaut (NASA): No report.

RRM (Robotic Refuelling Mission, NASA): In standby mode, awaiting the next task/run, refueling. [The RRM investigation demonstrates and tests the tools, technologies and techniques needed to robotically service and refuel satellites in space, especially satellites not originally designed to be serviced. RRM is expected to reduce risks and lay the foundation for future robotic servicing missions in microgravity.]

SCaN (Space Communications and Navigation Testbed, NASA): SCAN Testbed successfully completed its third and final week of antenna characterization. We have also performed some tests for the Antenna Positioning System (APS) Commissioning phase. We will be exercising Closed Loop RF tracking by varying the input vectors and configurations. This week's tests were conducted using the General Dynamics (GD) and Harris SDRs. Multiple passes were conducted each day, using both the NEN and SN, for a total of 14 events. Both Low Gain S-Band Antennas, the Medium Gain S-Band Antenna and the High Gain Ka-Band Antenna were used to transmit and receive. [Background: The SCaN Testbed provides an orbiting laboratory on space station for the development of SDR (Software Defined Radio) technology. These systems will allow researchers to conduct a suite of experiments over the next several years, enabling the advancement of a new generation of space communications. The testbed is the first space hardware to provide an experimental laboratory to demonstrate many new capabilities, including new communications, networking and navigation techniques that utilize SDR technology. The SCaN Testbed includes three such radio devices, each with different capabilities. These devices will be used by researchers to advance this technology over the Testbed's five year planned life in orbit. Two SDRs were developed under cooperative agreements with General Dynamics and Harris Corp., and the third was developed by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, Calif. JPL also provided the five-antenna system on the exterior of the testbed, used to communicate with NASA's orbiting communications relay satellites and NASA ground stations across the United States.]

SHD (Space Headaches, ESA): "Thanks Kevin for filling your second weekly questionnaire on 11/9!" [Background: The neurologists from Leiden University want to study the question whether the astronauts, while in space, suffer from the headaches. With the help of simple questionnaires the astronauts will register the headache episodes and the eventual accompanying symptoms. The results will hopefully help to characterize the frequency and characteristics of space headache and to develop countermeasure to prevent/minimize headache occurrence during the space flight.]

SODI-DSC (Selectable Optical Diagnostics Instrument/Diffusion & Soret Coefficient, ESA): No report. [Background: Fluids and gases are never at rest. This statement is in apparent contradiction with our experience: when we pour water in a glass and wait until all flows have disappeared and the temperature of the liquid is in equilibrium with that of the room, we see that water appears to be completely at rest. However, if we were able to see the individual molecules of water with a very powerful microscope, we would discover that they are incessantly moving and collide with each other following frantic, random paths even if the liquid appears to be quiescent at naked eye. Scientists are interested in observing and measuring such movements because they reveal important, practical information: how fast does heat propagates in a fluid? How fast do liquid mixtures mix? Such phenomena occur in absence of a macroscopic flow, that is when the fluid appears to be at rest, and are called heat and mass diffusion respectively. While the theoretical prediction of heat and mass diffusion is still quite challenging, its measurement is a standard laboratory practice, but may become extremely difficult or impossible when dealing with mixtures of many liquids, due to the fact that such measurement needs to be carried out when the fluid is quiescent, a condition sometimes impossible to achieve on ground. This is precisely the objective of the SODI DSC experiment carried out on board the International Space Station: the measurement of diffusion in mixtures of liquids. By using very sensitive optical techniques, it will be possible to measure mass diffusion, compare with current theories, and improve our present understanding of how molecules move in liquid mixtures. The results will be used by the large team of scientists involved in the project to try to understand which of the many existing theories for mass diffusion is correctly predicting the experimental behavior.]

SOLAR (Solar Monitoring Observatory, ESA): The next Sun Visibility Window #59 for SOLAR is expected to start on GMT323 and is a very special one. The reason is that normally SOLAR can only measure about 10-14 days per month. This time thanks to an ISS transition to slightly biased -YVV attitude, which will be performed on 11/30, and maintained for 11 days, two Sun Visibility Windows will be bridged and will make one long extended window. This will allow SOLAR for the first time to capture a full rotation cycle of the Sun for a point on the Sun's equator. Much looking forward to this unique occasion for special SOLAR measurements.

SPHINX (SPaceflight of Huvec: an Integrated eXperiment, ESA): No report.

SPICE (Smoke Point In Co-flow Experiment): No report.

SPINAL (Spinal Elongation): No report.

SPRINT: "Suni and Aki, you did a fantastic job on your last Sprint in-flight ultrasound! The PI has the data and the team is looking forward to seeing you on the ground. Thank you both for your diligence over your increment with all aspects of the Sprint experiment and especially with the exercise schedules. Have a safe trip home!"

STP-H3 (Space Test Program - Houston 3): All STP-H3 experiments are functional and are in a nominal configuration. MHTEX has lowered the reservoir temperature to prepare for the startup of the Capillary Pumped Loop (CPL) next week for a new series of tests. VADER continues to characterize the performance of the Aerogel blanket attached to the backside of the experiment. Canary plans to collect data during the 31S undocking on 11/18. DISC took new images this week and continues to process images that were taken in previous weeks.

SWAB (Characterization of Microorganisms & Allergens in Spacecraft): No report.

TASTE IN SPACE (ESA): No report.

THERMOLAB (ESA): No report.

TRAC (Test of Reaction & Adaptation Capabilities): Planned.

TREADMILL KINEMATICS: "Sunita, thanks for being a great Treadmill Kinematics subject!"

TRIPLELUX-B (ESA): No report.

TRITEL (Three-Axis Telescope, ESA): "Kevin, great work on the check-out activity on the TRITEL active detector on 11/9. The science team / PD confirmed that the downlinked dataset looks fine in terms of file sizes."

ULTRASOUND: Planned.

UMS (Urine Monitoring System (NASA): No report.

VASCULAR (CSA): No report.

VCAM (Vehicle Cabin Atmosphere Module, NASA): No report.

VESSEL ID System (ESA): No report. [Background: As the ISS circles Earth, it has been tracking individual ships crossing the seas beneath. An investigation hosted by ESA in COL module has been testing the viability of monitoring global maritime traffic from the station's orbit hundreds of kilometers above since June 2010. The ship-detection system being tested is based on the AIS (Automatic Identification System), the marine equivalent of the air traffic control system. Astronauts were instrumental in enabling the COLAIS experiment, which is an in-orbit demonstration project of ESA's General Support Technology Program. COL was not originally outfitted with VHF antennas to capture the AIS signals; they were installed on the outside of the module during a spacewalk in November 2009, with the remaining piece of hardware, the ERNOBox control computer, installed inside COL along with the NORAIS receiver in May 2010.- The two operational phases with the first receiver from Norway, or NORAIS, which is operated by FFI/Norway, have been extremely successful, with data telemetry received by the N-USOC, in Trondheim, Norway, via ESA's COL-CC in Germany. Data has been received by NORAIS in almost continuous operation, and all modes of operation have worked extremely well. On a good day, approximately 400,000 ship position reports are received from more than 22,000 different ship identification numbers (Maritime Mobile Service Identity, or MMSI). -- The NORAIS Receiver has a sample mode that can collect the raw signal, digitize it and send it to ground for analysis of signal quality, which is proving very helpful in making additional improvements/ refinements to the system. This is used both to investigate the signal environment and to evaluate the performance of new receiver technologies on the ground. Several hundred data sets have been collected and processed with new candidate algorithms for next generation receivers.-- From the assessment of these data sets, an updated version of the decoder algorithm has been worked. The development benefits from the investigations of the sampled data and ongoing work in other ESA projects. The firmware was uploaded to the NORAIS Receiver through the station's communications network. This upgrade #1 ("NORAIS Receiver FPGA firmware v18"), was activated on 1/20/2012.-- The on-orbit data of the NORAIS Receiver v18 have been analyzed since and show very good results. The teams are confident in the operation and performance of v18 and have now preliminary results of the comparison of the performance of the upgraded NORAIS Receiver (v18) relative to the version operated prior to the upgrade (v16).-- Changes of the signal environment on ISS can influence the number of correctly decoded messages, which makes it important to compare the results of this upgrade to a period running the old algorithm with a similar background level.-- The daily averages are calculated for 11 days for both receiver versions. For the upgrade, the period considered for comparison is 1/21-1/31/2012, which are the first 11 days of operation. When selecting the period for the reference data it was important to find a period with the same background signal level as the 11 days with the upgraded NORAIS Receiver. The period from 11/27 - 12/7/2011 was. Even though the two 11 day periods are 45 days apart, the ship traffic should not be very different around the world, except for some regions in the north that may be hampered by sea ice. -- The performance has been studied as the average number of decoded messages per day for the current upgrade v18 of the firmware and the original NORAIS Receiver software. The improvement is the ratio of these numbers (so average numbers of messages per day before the upgrade divided by number of messages after the upgrade). The number of messages from ships in various geographic areas shows a variation in the ratio of messages from 1.2 to 2.0, whereas the ratio of MMSI's ranges from 1.1 to 1.9. The improvement in the Mediterranean is almost a factor of 2.0 in number of messages, and more than 1.6 in number of distinct ships per day. The improvement in other high-traffic zones, at the Gulf of Mexico and East Asia, is even higher.]

VESSEL IMAGING (ESA): No report. [Background: It is known that the ability of blood vessels to vasoconstrict - the ability of the muscular vessel wall to narrow the diameter of the blood vessel - is impaired during and after a human has been in space. "Vessel Imaging" is using the Ultrasound scanner on board the ISS to take images of the five different blood vessels in the lower abdomen and in the legs to study what changes occur to cause the blood vessels to be less able to vasoconstrict. For each vessel, a 5 second scan is performed to observe the blood vessel during several heart beats, followed by a scan where the ultrasound scan-head is tilted to allow a "cut through the blood vessel wall". The same scans are also performed before flight, and these pre-flight images are used as the baseline to which the in-flight data is compared with. The images are analyzed to detect any changes in the blood vessel wall properties, such as wall thickness, elasticity or structure, changes in the size of the blood vessel or blood flow (volume) while the crewmember is in orbit.]

WAICO #1/#2 (Waving and Coiling of Arabidopsis Roots at Different g-levels; ESA): No report.

YEAST B (ESA): No report.

YOUTUBE SpaceLab: No report.

CEO (Crew Earth Observation): Through 11/4 the ground has received 8,226 of ISS CEO frames from Expedition 33 for review and cataloging. "We regret to report that we have received no new imagery this week with times corresponding to our CEO target request times. We suspect this was due to lack of sufficiently illuminated targets near nadir during this period. We look forward to more of your fine photography as conditions improve in the coming week. Your revealing view of Qatar, Persian Gulf at Night was published on the NASA/GSFC Earth Observatory website this past weekend. Astronaut nighttime photography of the Earth has proven to be an informative depiction of human impact, infrastructure, population distribution, and even culture. Who would have guessed that one could see a camel race track from space? What an awesome shot!"

CEO targets uplinked for today were Ganga River Sand Bars-Central and West sectors, India (looking left and right of track for the low-water bed of the Ganges River. Conditions continue favorable to document detail of the large sand bars exposed along the river. Recent ISS/CEO imagery illustrates well the older stable bars and young active ones. Farmers occupy the stable sand bars, but as the river course shifts, older bars can become active again), Floods, Tuscany, Italy (near-nadir pass over Florence where 800 people have been evacuated from their homes. Major highways have been cut. Morning fog should have cleared by the time of this ISS pass. Shooting valley floors for evidence of the flooding. These are the worst floods in living memory. The flooding has been widespread, with Rome and Venice also mentioned in newscasts), and Storms Aftermath, Northeast Coast, USA (looking left up the coast of New Jersey. Cleanup continues, but storm-surge effects along coastlines should be visible still, especially left of track).